Cup King calls for two more battles

BIG CONTRIBUTIONS: Jimmy Watson has surpassed his century on three of their five matches in the competition so far

The ‘Village Cup King’ has declared Worlington ‘more than capable’ of winning the national competition, after scoring his third century from five outings in the tournament.

Jimmy Watson, dubbed the king by his team-mates for his consistent batting displays, said it is ‘impossible not to now look ahead’ following the team reaching the quarter-finals of the National Village Cup – for the first time in their history.

He scored 130 runs in the home win over Foxton on Sunday to provide crucial runs to help the team to the last eight.

“We’re loving it,” he said. “It’s taken a lot of time and energy but we deserve to be here.

“And we’re just two wins away from playing at Lord’s.

“We’re at a stage where it’s impossible not to look ahead and think about the final.

“It’s getting closer and we can see how close now.

“I fully believe we’re more than capable of winning it.

“It’s been amazing to be a big part of that, part of the team that have gone the furthest we ever have, in a national competition.

“I know I’ve scored the bulk of the runs but it’s about more than that, it’s a real team performance.”

He said he would have been unable to hit such an impressive total without the support of his team-mates, as he stayed at the crease for several hours in scorching conditions.

It is his third score surpassing the hundred mark in the competition, having scored 189 against Bentley in round one, an unbeaten 109 against Belhus in the regional semi-final and 130 against Foxton on Sunday.

“It was so hot and there were points where I was really struggling,” he said.

“So it’s a team effort as I was brought round by the team.

“And then the bowling and fielding, we did what we needed to do to hold them at bay.

“So we go again in two weeks and we can’t wait.”

Worlington will play host to Sussex Premier Cricket League club Mayfair in that last eight clash on Sunday, July 22 as they hope to continue their purple patch all the way to the final, contested on cricket’s hallowed turf of Lord’s Cricket Ground.

Watson said: “It would be an absolute dream to play in a final there. It’s one of the most famous grounds in the world and it’s definitely something for us all to aim for.”